Monthly archive:

PEFC sponsors Responsible Timber CPD at Surface Design Show 2019

PEFC UK will be hosting a Responsible Timber Sourcing CPD PEFC at the Surface Design Show 2019 in London on Wednesday 6 February. The fully accredited CPD is open to architects, specifiers and contractors and certificates of attendance will be awarded.

The CPD module will be presented by Charlie Law, Managing Director of Sustainable Construction Solutions, who has worked in the construction sector for over 30 years, and has extensive industry knowledge having worked for BAM, Kier and Lendlease. Charlie is also a Director at the Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA), a member of the Grown in Britain Executive and a member of the Ska technical committee.

The CPD workshop will provide:• The background to forest certification and its global importance• The UK timber market and drivers for certified timber• The requirements of the UK government’s timber procurement policy • What a model timber specification clause looks like• Chain of Custody certification and how it works.

Using timber from well-managed forests that meet internationally recognised standards of legality and sustainability, certified by organisations such as PEFC is a pre-requisite for environmental assessment schemes such as BREEAM, LEED and Ska, as well as many others around the world. Green building standards, together with corporate responsible sourcing policies, are increasingly driving demand for responsibly-sourced timber. To meet client expectations, it is therefore important that designers and specifiers insist on certified timber for their projects, along with full Chain of Custody.

World Experts drawn to Oxford for Global Forestry Conference on 10-11 April 2019

The UK’s Role in Global Forestry – Past, present and future will be held on 10-11 April 2019 at the Examination Schools in Oxford. Forests are increasingly being relied upon to provide a sustainable future for the planet. The UK has a remarkable influence on the global forestry stage and, with its National Conference in 2019, the Institute is once again leading the way in preparing the forestry profession for the future.

International Union of Forest Research Organisations’ (IUFRO) Executive Director Alexander Buck joins Session 4, “Delivering Global Environmental Services from Forests”. Mr Buck is an expert on international forestry, environment and resource policy. He will explore how forests, science and people interconnect on an international scale. On day two, Environmentalist Tony Juniper, Executive Director for Advocacy and Campaigns at WWF-UK, will address Session 5 in a lecture entitled “Do Professional Foresters Matter?” exploring how foresters are viewed by those working in sustainability.

Commenting on the significance of the UK’s Role in Global Forestry, conference Chair Geraint Richards MVO MICFor, Head Forester at Duchy of Cornwall Woodlands, said: “The ICF’s 2019 national conference will provide a timely opportunity to consider the importance of the UK’s role in global forestry. Next year marks the centenary of the 1919 Forestry Act and, whilst touching on the past, the conference’s exciting array of international speakers will highlight the significance of the UK forestry sector today and going forward.”

Timber championed with the launch of WoodFest | 10-14 December 2018 | Newcastle

The North East will celebrate everything built with wood as the first WoodFest comes to Newcastle from 10 to 14 December 2018 with an exciting line-up of events organised by the UK timber industry’s campaign, Wood for Good.

WoodFest Newcastle will bring together architects, engineers, placemakers, planners, developers, contractors, politicians and local businesses specialising in timber to promote the innovative and striking ways that wood can be used in the built environment in the North East.

Christiane Lellig, Wood for Good campaign director, said: “The first in a series of regional WoodFests, this as a fantastic opportunity to bring all those involved with the built environment to explore what industry and politics can achieve together.

“Each event is a chance to learn and share about the use of timber in architecture, particularly around health and wellbeing and offsite construction. It provides a platform to discover what’s happening in the region and to be inspired by timber design.”

The week begins with a behind-the-scenes tour of wood-based materials manufacturer, Egger’s site in Hexham on 10 December. In the evening, Dr Oliver G.F. Jones, architecture professor and expert in human-environment interaction at Northumbria University, will give the keynote speech at a seminar on wellbeing, residential design and healthy homes. Taking place at Ryder Architecture’s home in Cooper’s Studios, Westgate Road, Newcastle, Dr Jones will be joined by a panel of experts including local housing providers and design professionals to explore biophilic design, light, space and air quality among other issues.

Offsite construction steals the show on 12 December with an evening seminar debating whether modern methods of construction are the future for homes in the North East. Hosted by Ryder at Cooper’s Studios, an expert panel will explore Home England’s strategic plan incorporating offsite construction and will ask if it’s the silver bullet to deliver much-needed homes.

A site visit to the unique self-build home, Shawm House, takes place on 11 December. Designed by Newcastle-based MawsonKerr Architects, the timber home won four regional RIBA awards, a national RIBA award and was shortlisted for Grand Designs ‘House of the Year’ in 2017. This is a rare opportunity to hear the homeowner’s story and experience the house for yourself.

Taking place throughout the week is an exhibition at Cooper’s Studios, exploring healthy buildings and driving the design and construction quality agenda through the use of modern methods of construction.

The finale for WoodFest Newcastle is the Superwood Conference on Friday 14 December at Northumbria University, hosted by Confor.

Speakers include Paul Brennan, MEP for the North East, Adam James from Ryder Architecture, Councillor Peter Jackson, leader of Northumberland County Council, Dr Dan Ridley-Ellis from Edinburgh Napier University, Beccy Speight from the Woodland Trust, Neil Sutherland from Makar, Stuart Goodall from Confor, Simon Hart from Egger Forestry and Christiane Lellig from Wood for Good.

TTF's UK Wood Panels Conference 2018 | 7 November 2018 | London

On Wednesday 7th November 2018, the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) will hold a conference in central London focused on wood panels production and trade.

The UK Wood Panels Conference 2018: adding value through innovation & fire safety will examine the current and future state of the wood panel products market in the UK.

Speakers of the day include Clive Pininngton, Managing Director of the European Panel Federation, and David Murray, Innovation Manager at MEDITE SMARTPLY.

The debate will focus on the innovative ways manufacturers and traders are adding value, ensuring quality and designing products to meet specific market needs at all steps of the supply chain.

"Wood-based panel products are one of the fastest sectors in the timber supply chain," explain the organisers. "Versatile, decorative and easy to use, they are increasingly popular with merchants, builders, designers and architects."

TTJ Wood and Wellness conference | 13 February 2019 | London

The Timber Trades Journal (TTJ) is organising a major conference in London in 2019 – Wood andWellness – to look at wood’s role in this trend. Do trees and the wood products that derive from them have an opportunity the shape this new world of wellness?

The event at the Hilton Tower Bridge on 13 February 2019 – aimed at the timber sector, architects, interior designers and construction professionals – will include research presentations, case studies and discussion panels comprising experts from a variety of sectors. The focus will be on the role that sustainable timber can play, not only in building the world in which we live and work, but also looking at the positive effects that the sympathetic use of timber could have on productivity, learning, recovery from serious illness and general sense of well-being.

"It has long been believed that exposure to the natural world can have a positive impact on health and well-being," say the organisers.

"Now this world of wellness is becoming a mega trend in the built environment, with building and interior design increasingly taking into account the health and wellbeing of occupants."

Studies examining the positive impact that greater exposure to nature/natural products can have on health and wellbeing have highlighted some impressive results:

• Office design: productivity can be increased by 8% and rates of well-being increased by 13%*